Kirk Lombard: Pursuing the Elusive Monkeyface Eel

Kirk Lombard worked for 7 years as a fisheries observer for the CA Department of Fish and Game.

Onboard rockfish boats off the Farallones I counted rockfish; on the piers I checked herring, jacksmelt, stripers, pile perch; on the beaches I saw how surf and night smelt were captured; in the hidden coves I checked in on goose barnacle poachers, (not because I had to, because I wanted to); in downtown San Francisco I watched homeless, drop-line-wielding grandmothers, pull rockfish after rockfish out of storm drains.

You want to get deep with fishing in an urban environment? Come to Kirk’s workshop on the Homesteader Stage, 12:30PM: “Poke Poling 101.” Learn to make your own poke pole so you can catch monkeyface eels, rockfish and cabezon on the California coast. Informal discussion on other “underground” fisheries of SF Bay will continue after the demonstration–time permitting.

Kirk also has 10 years as a (third generation) equity actor in NY, and is the lead singer of local band Rube Waddell—so you can make a good guess that his session will be great theater as well. Even if touching an eel freaks you out.

And if you miss the session, Kirk now leads field tours on urban fishing regularly through his company Sea Forager, so you can get out in the field with a real expert.